Kim Tanaka (Nee Taylor) was a minor character in Neighbours in 1985 and 2017 who first appeared in Episode 3 - 20 March 1985. She left in Episode 62 - 11 June 1985 but returned 32 years later in Episode 7569 - 30 March 2017. In 1985 she was a schoolfriend of Scott Robinson and dated him for a while but kept it secret from her parents. Kim was pregnant at the time, allegedly by a man called Brad. She was carrying twins, whom after birth were named David Tanaka and Leo Tanaka, Tanaka being their adoptive father's name once Kim later married. Kim returned in 2017 as part of a storyline involving the Tanaka's and left again in Episode 7574 - 6 April 2017. Kim was played by Jenny Young.
Biography[]
Backstory[]
Kim Taylor was born in 1970 the daughter of Marcia Taylor by an extra marital relationship she had with a Japanese man while married to Neil Taylor. Neil bought Kim up as his own. Kim went to Erinsborough High School with Scott Robinson.
In early 1985, Kim had a one night stand with Paul Robinson when he was a uni student. Paul did not know she was underage and never asked. Kim fell pregnant.
1985[]

Kim Taylor in 1985.
Kim Taylor briefly dated Scott but they never slept together. Kim ran away and was chased off by a prostitute for loitering in her area. She shared a bedsit with a girl called Sonia. Scott tries to persuade her to return to her parents, as does Scott's brother Paul Robinson and Father Kevin Barry. Kim thought she was pregnant by a man called Brad. She admits to Scott that she is hiding from Brad. Brad follows Scott to the bedsit then visits Kim saying he wants her and the baby. In June 1985, Kim then finds out that her friend Josie is also pregnant by Brad and Brad is arranging for them both to sell their babies. Scott disapproves, and when Brad starts threatening her, Kim reconsiders the plan. She decides against it altogether when she sees how unhappy Josie is after giving her child away. Scott speaks to Paul,

Kim in the 1985 school yearbook with Scott Robinson (retconned to show Jason Donovan's version).
who arranges them to visit a family planning clinic. At the clinic, Kim breaks down and is unsure whether to go through with an abortion. Helen Daniels offers to assist Kim by tracking down her parents, who have moved away. Marcia initially refuses to acknowledge Kim, but she eventually goes to see her. Marcia explains to Kim that she had been in a similar situation twenty-seven years ago. She was forced to give away her daughter, Karen, meaning Kim has a much older half sister. Kim tells her mother that she needs her support and they go home.
Kim had no further contact with Brad or Scott Robinson but did remain in Erinsborough, another area of the borough.
In late 1985, Kim gave birth to twin boys David Taylor and Leo Taylor. Kim soon married a Mr Tanaka and David and Leo took their stepfather's surname.
2017[]
Kim came to see her sons David and Leo in March 2017 as they pressed her for info on their real father. Kim was reluctant. She got chatting with Amy Williams, Leo's girlfriend and Amy said she was the daughter of Paul Robinson. Kim slightly flinched. She later saw Paul in The Waterhole, Lassiters and walked off but later agreed to meet him. Kim and Paul found that Amy and Leo had gone away for a weekend together. They gatecrashed their romantic weekend and Paul dropped a huge bombshell saying that he was the real father of David and Leo Tanaka. Paul explained how it all happened way back in 1985. Kim said once she parted ways from paul she did hear about him but did not think he was a suitable father to the twins. David and Leo had waited 30 years for answers as to their paternity.
After the reveal and everything was out in the open, in April 2017, Kim returned home.
Memorable info[]
Birthday: 1970
Full Name: Kimberley Taylor-Tanaka
Trivia[]
- Kim Taylor beat Clive Gibbons in 2017 as the character with the longest gap between appearances for a character, with 7506 episodes having passed in between appearances when she returned in Episode 7569 - 30 March 2017, having last been seen in Episode 62 way back in June 1985. This was ultimately beaten by Shane Ramsay with an 8451 episode gap between his appearances in Episode 437 - 3 March 1987 and Episode 8889 - 13 July 2022.
- The original 1985 storyline involving Kim seems to have been retconned a bit to accommodate Paul being the father of the Tanaka twins. Originally Paul and Kim only briefly met and it was always assumed that Brad was the father. In 2017 it was revealed that Paul and Kim had a one night stand at a uni event in early 1985 and later pretended not to know one another.
Family[]
Father Unknown Man
Adoptive Father Neil Taylor
Mother Marcia Taylor
Siblings Karen (half, same mother)
Children David Tanaka, Leo Tanaka (late 1985)
Grandchildren - Isla Tanaka-Brennan, Abigail Tanaka
Grandmothers Kazuko Sano
Statistics[]
Year | Year Total | Running Total | No of consecutive appearances | No of consecutive absences |
---|---|---|---|---|
1985 | 15 | 15 | 7 | 30 |
2017 | 6 | 21 | 6 | 0 |
Appearances[]
1985[]
- Episode 3 - 20 March 1985
- Episode 4 - 21 March 1985
- Episode 5 - 22 March 1985
- Episode 6 - 25 March 1985
- Episode 7 - 26 March 1985
- Episode 8 - 27 March 1985
- Episode 9 - 28 March 1985
- Episode 24 - 18 April 1985
- Episode 55 - 31 May 1985
- Episode 56 - 3 June 1985
- Episode 57 - 4 June 1985
- Episode 59 - 6 June 1985
- Episode 60 - 7 June 1985
- Episode 61 - 10 June 1985
- Episode 62 - 11 June 1985
2017[]
- Episode 7569 - 30 March 2017
- Episode 7570 - 31 March 2017
- Episode 7571 - 3 April 2017
- Episode 7572 - 4 April 2017
- Episode 7573 - 5 April 2017
- Episode 7574 - 6 April 2017